Neil Jones has discussed Liverpool’s ongoing search for further midfield reinforcements this summer.
Jurgen Klopp has already completed somewhat of a overhaul in the middle of the park in recent months with Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo all signed in place of Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Fabinho (to name a few).
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Our new No. 8 was immense against Bournemouth at the weekend but there’s a feeling amongst many Reds supporters that one more midfielder is needed if we’re to seriously challenge on all four fronts this term.
“I think you’ve got to look at who’s available, first and foremost,” Jones told Empire of the Kop. “Liverpool have had some problems with available players, for example, Ryan Gravenberch, who is one Liverpool really like, but wasn’t available and hasn’t been available. If that changes, I do think Liverpool would be right in the mix for someone like him.
“Khephren Thuram was looked at strongly, but it was relayed back that once Dominik Szoboszlai signed, it put an end to this pursuit. In the meantime, however, Jordan Henderson and Fabinho left, so we’ll have to see whether that option gets revisited. He should be available; he’s not gone anywhere despite rumours of other clubs being interested. You’ve also got people like Manu Kone, but the probably more interesting thing is what Liverpool do with the defence.
READ MORE: (Video) Dermot Gallagher shares his thoughts on Mac Allister’s red card
In addition to strengthening our options in the engine room, Reds supporters still believe Klopp’s squad is in need of some defensive reinforcements.
We’re yet to keep a clean sheet during our opening two games of the campaign and Jones has questioned whether we have another quality in reserve if our first choice options are to pick up injuries.
“We’ve talked before about what kind of combination of transfers you’d have this summer. Ultimately, I think you have to look at Liverpool’s defence and say, in the event of any injuries occurring, they’re a bit short.
“You saw Joe Gomez come in at right-back at the weekend, you saw Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk being the preferred centre-back partnership… but what happens if one of those two is down? You’ve got Joel Matip who, with the greatest respect, has had a poor pre-season, and then you’ve got Kostas Tsimikas who wasn’t even trusted to come in at left-back when Andy Robertson struggled at Stamford Bridge. He wasn’t trusted to come on at left-back at the weekend either and ended up being placed higher up the pitch as an advanced left-sided midfielder.”
There is still time to go before the transfer window slams shut on September 1 and it’s clear that we have money to spend after we submitted a bid of over £100m for Moises Caicedo.
We’ve got brilliant options at the top end of the pitch but it’ll be interesting to see what further business we can complete during the remainder of the window.
If a new defender and a new midfielder were to be signed in the coming weeks we believe that would set us in good stead to compete for silverware this season.
We have faith in Klopp and Co. to get the right deals over the line and not just splash the cash on players that may not necessarily suit our style of play!
#Ep85 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Jan Åge Fjørtoft on Wataru Endo🎙️